Santa Monica will soon become home to a new public building designed by architecture firm OMA. City staff have selected OMA New York, led by Shohei Shigematsu, to build the space, which will include a boutique hotel, residential spaces, office, and stores. The concept reveals a design featuring a series of stacked rectangular volumes, angled to create rooftop space for grassy terraces. The development will occupy a full city block at Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue.
While the public complex will include apartments, offices, a hotel, and various shopping accommodations, its outdoor terrace areas will serve as venues for various events. The final design will be presented to the Santa Monica City Staff in August. If approved, construction will begin in 2014.
Shigematsu says, "Our ambition was to contribute to Santa Monica's diverse network of public spaces, from the recreational plazas at the Pier and Palisades Park to contained commercial centers like Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place. Our design provides residents, tourists, and entrepreneurs a dynamic new public realm—a stepped building that achieves a strong interaction between interior program and exterior environments."
[via Dezeen]
